SJE/Session26
Exalted Session 26
Jaq is haring through town being pursued by a vengeful Tanaka, so he races toward Alana in the hopes for her aid. Alana Fedaykin lift a sheet of crystal cladding (bound for the Diamond Palace) and wait for Jaq to run by before crossing the road. Tanaka however spots the crystal sheet and leaps over it, still determined to slay the Anathaema Jaq.
At this point, the Lord of Silent Repose offers Alana another deal. If he and his companions save Jaq from Tanaka, then Alana must swear to “Never use her Charms, abilities, anima power, raise a blade or speak against them”. Alana so swears and the Moonshadow santifies her oath in the name of the Malfeans. From deep below, an ancient bell tolls thrice.
Jaq rounds a corner leading to an alley way sewer entrance. Unfortunately its been blocked up with rocks due to the war. Tanaka then rounds the corner into this now dead (literally) end. Jaq starts picking the lock of a housedoor in the alley. He’s making fast progress, but lockpicking cant outpace a thrown chakram. That’s when three cloaked Deathknights round the corner
“What now!?!” moans an exasperated Jaq. “Take a ticket- Master Tanaka gets to kill me first!”
Tanaka doesn’t even bother to look as he leaps into the air, backflipping over to unleash a storm of chakrams at the Deathknights. Jaq dashes into the alleyway house as high Essence Exalted combat starts outside. There is a brief burst of ‘Carmina Burana’ presumably as one of the Abyssals unleashes a combo.
Alana and her men reach the alleyway (where the Knight of Dark Renown lays slumped, dozens of chakram marks scoring his armour). Inside the house, globes of blackness rise from the roof and a hurricane like twister reaches down from the sky as the remaining deathknights press the battle.
She finds Jaq (now glowing like a bonfire) and her Tiger Warriors revert to their Kether Rock training by dousing the light of a Shiny One by diving on top of Jaq and covering her light with their bodies, Secret Service-style. They bundle off to the Cult safehouse so the Shiny Ones can stop glowing and regain some Essence with a shiatsu massage or two.
The Captain at this point is a world away from a massage by adoring cultists. Octavion has just finished hammering the nails through his hands and feet, crucifying him on a cross looking toward Gem.
“Foolish Exalt, all fall when they face the Living Tower! Now you shall witness our crushing of Gem, and the treading of all the cities of Creation under our rule! The long war is over and we have won!”
Ever defiant, the Captain spits something about “Come back here, and fight me” but his Limit finally breaks and he goes into a Beserk Anger. Since he’s very securely attached to the cross by Malfean Brass nails, this mainly consists of thrashing his head about and frothing at the mouth.
Octavion promises the Captain that he will live in eternal torment to the end of Time (about the middle of next week at current rate of demonic success) and shoves a Ssselja demon bug into the Captains stomach. Flesh rippling like a stone into water, the insectile demon scurries up the inside of the Captains chest and starts knitting together all his many wounds
Rav and Brand are still battling Stanewald, but the old stalemate persists- Stanewald has too big a Dodge pool and Principle of Motion to supply defence and Brand has persistent and perfect parries. Neither can hurt each other- at least until someone runs out of Willpower first.
Rav valiantly tries to break the stalemate. Abandoning his bowshots from the air, he dives down into a killing strike with his moonsilver direlance. Stanewald twists and dances round the first strike, but the second lands true on her posterior. Rav rolls ping and …. No damage on 3 dice! Truly Stanewald has the devils own luck. Stanewalds Boulder Shattering Kicks break Brands slashing sword when he HGD’s with it the third time, and now swordless and low on Willpower, he calls in Rav for an aerial evac. They make it out, and start flying to Gem, even as Stanewald unwinds Wulgryth to race them there…
As the Captain suffers the agonies of Crucifiction, he continues struggling- ripping open his hand to free it from the giant nails that pin it to the cross beam. Its agonising, tiring struggle. As night begins to fall and the demons start their assault on the weakened walls of Gem, the Captain is left alone. A scent of … lilies perhaps reaches his nose as a gentle, cool hand traces his flank and leg. Someone is standing behind him.
An alluring, feminine voice says “Why struggle on? Don’t you deserve some peace and rest, relief from your pain”
“No, no. I’m fine” insists the Captain. “Just resting for a moment”
“I can see your agony. And I could release you from it. Bring sweet Oblivion that would be a blessing to you”
“You’ve got Sweet Oblivion? Why didn’t you say and pass the bottle” retorts an undimmed Captain.
Clearly a little frustrated the feminine voice returns “Look, I could bring you down from that cross and take away the pain with a touch. If only you’d be a little more accommodating…?”
“Get me down and touch me? You’ll find I’m always accommodating to the Laydeez!” leches an unrepressible Captain.
“Fine, your lust for life is still too strong. Keep it and suffer” and with that, the voice and Lady are gone.
The Captain goes back to pulling the nail out with his bloody palm.
Alana and Jaq plan what to do. It occurs to Jaq (after a chance theory from Rav’s player) that no one has mentioned at what age the Despot collected his Yasal Crystal collection. Asking around, he learns that young Rankar VII was quite the SJE/YasalCrystalDuellist. Things click and Jaq realises that perhaps the Crystals that he needs to save Ravs life (and appease Ssseth) might be found in the guarded room of the Palace where the Despot keeps his childhood.
That’s when the invasion hits Gem. From outside all hear the scream of men battling demons and din of firedust canons. Alana and her Tiger Warriors race outside to hold the walls as Jaq continues to nap. (Arguably regaining Essence). Rav and Brand drop in (near literally- in order to bypass the aerial wards, Rav has to shift back to human form at 100 feet up,let gravity drop him through the barrier and then quickly regrow wings. Hopefully in under 5 seconds and the ground meets them)
Brand heads up to the Palace, hoping to scrounge some last minute doomsday weapon the Despot might have stashed away. Rav talks with Alana (whose Presencehas just rallied a unit of retreating pikemen) and decides to go save the Captain. Jaq is asleep.
Meanwhile the Captain is still hanging on the cross. He’s nearly got one nail halfway out. A beam of light pierces the clouds and halos him, Jesus-style.
“AND WHO ARE YOU? I DID NOT CHOOSE YOU?!” booms the Unconquered Sun.
“I’m Captain… er… <Player fumbles his remember character name skill> Ibrahim. And I freed this Essence from a cage. And killed a demon. And stuff!”
“YOU, A MERE MORTAL, FREED AN ESSENCE FROM A MONSTRANCE? HOW?!”
“Well, I had some help. But enough of that, I broke it open and slew the monster with my bare hands!”
“IMPRESSIVE”
“I thought so too” declares the Captain unmodestly.
“THEN GO FORTH AND SMITE EVIL IN MY NAME!”
A blast of Solar atomic fire shoots down from Heaven as the Unconquered Sun fixes the slightly loose Essence shard to the Captains soul. Blinding gold white fire fills him to overflowing. From somewhere inside there is a high pitched “Eeeep!” as the Ssselja takes 200 levels of Agg and is vapourised.
Rav comes in for a landing to the now freed Captain- his wounds healed by the Fire of the Sun and the Malfean cross now ashes. Taking one Malfean Brass Crucifiction Nail, the Captain turns and says
“Lets go find Octavion. Time to give him back his nail!”
So ends session 26.
Return to SJE
